Device for beating time to music



March 3, 1964 D. GORNSTON ET AL DEVICE FOR BEATING TIME TO MUSIC Filed March 9, 1962 x I I l 44 ,34 44 INVENTORY.

W/LL/E BY United States Patent i 3,122,961 DEVICE FOR BEATING TIME TO MUSIC David Gornston, 8345 Broadway, Elmhurst, N.Y., and Willie Berg, 9223 Clyde Ave., Chicago, Ill. Filed Mar. 9, 1962, Ser. No. 178,680 Claims. (Cl. 84484) This invention relates to a device for beating time to music, and in particular, to a device of this nature which is adapted for operation by the foot. Self-powered metronomes accomplish the general purpose of beating time, and have their own utility in the general field of music, but in many phases of musical endeavor, it is found most convenient to have the timing under human control, for various reasons, and since most of these activities require the use of the hands in the musical effort itself, it is of great advantage to utilize one of the feet for the beatmg.

It is therefore a general object of the invention to provide a foot-operated metronome. Another object is to provide a time-beating device including a swingable member having inertial characteristics providing a convenient natural period of swing, leading to fairly constant time intervals without any substantial conscious effort or attention by the operator. Yet another object is to provide a timing device having two distinctly different sound effects at opposite ends of the swing cycle. It is also among the objects to provide a device which is facile and reliable in performance, simple of construction, with a minimum number of parts, readily assembled and disassembled, easy of manufacture, and low in cost.

These and other ends, which will be readily apparent, are attained by the present invention, a preferred form of which is described in the following specification, as illus trated in the drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the assembled device,

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view, enlarged, taken on the plane of the medial, longitudinal line 22 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view of the device, as seen from the left of FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional View, taken on the plane of the line 44 in FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, there is shown a two-part metronome, of cast aluminum, or aluminum alloy, or other suitable material, comprising a housing 10, and a striker 12, located within the housing, and having a striker head 14, extending from one end of the housing, and a foot treadle 16 extending from the other end of the housing. As seen in FIGURE 2, the striker has a flat, central section 18 within the housing, which is joined to the head 14 and treadle 16, respectively, by upwardly directed, short sections 20, 22, and the striker is supported at a fulcrum, for swinging movement, in a manner to be described hereinafter.

To accommodate the striker in its swinging movement, the housing 10 has a gently sloping, top panel 24, and as shown, this panel is recessed to accommodate suitable, embossed legends. The housing also has a pair of main sloping, triangular side panels 26, and a pair of smaller sloping, triangular, corner panels 28 at the forward end. The inside corners, at the front, are strengthened by means of inner, cylindrical, vertical bosses, or corner webs, 29. At its base, the housing has a pair of vertical skirts 30, diverging in a direction forwardly of the treadle, converging forwardly of the side panels 26, and supporting a horizontal platform 32, the rear end of which is spaced forwardly of the pyramidal superstructure of the housing. This spacing accommodates the upturned, connecting section of the striker, as well as a boss 34, depending from the under side of the striker. An opening 36 in the vertical front face 33 of the housing permits 3,122,961 Patented Mar. 3, 1964 passage of the striker head 14 during assembly of the parts, and also affords clearance for swing.

The striker head 14 is generally rectangular, with bevelled, upper corners 38, and carries, on its under side, an embedded sphere 40 which may consist of hardened steel, and which normally dwells, under gravity action, on the platform 32. At about the rear end of boss 34 the upper side of the striker has an upwardly extending domed boss 42 which is adapted to strike the inner face of the top panel 24 of the housing in limiting the upward swing of the striker. This produces a sharp, clearly audible and distinctive click, as enhanced by the acoustical features of the housing, and upon descent of the striker, the sphere 40 also produces a click on platform 32, which has a distinctly different sound, both by virtue of the difference of material in the sphere, and the fact that the contact occurs outside of the housing. The boss 34 not only lends increased strength in a region subject to shock stresses, but also enhances the inertial characteristics, and leads to increased kinetic energy in the swing.

The striker is supported for the swinging movement, in free-floating condition, on a fulcrum, and to this end, the housing, which has a rear opening 44 for passage of the striker, provides supporting means in the form of a rearwardly extending pair of vertical, sloping walls 46, joined at their rear by a ground plate 48. As seen in FIGURES 2 and 4, the striker has depending webs 50 at its sides, adjacent the treadle 16, which fit between sloping walls 46, and the treadle is of sufi'icient width to overlie the walls 46. Due to the angular disposition of the treadle with respect to the top edges of walls 46, the under side of the treadle is rockable thereon, as a fulcrum, thus dispensing with the need for trunnions or pivots. In the particular embodiment shown, the webs 50 of the striker have upper filleted corners, and these find two-point support at points 52, 54, on the upper, inside corners of slant walls 46, to constitute the fulcrum, or swing axis.

In the form shown, a compression coil spring 56 is provided between the treadle and the cross plate 48, and while this may be considered as improving the action in some modes of employment, it is not essential, since the striker constitutes a lever of the first class, with the output end, or working end overbalanced, and will return to idle position under the action of gravity alone.

Casual inspection of the parts of the device will show that disassembly may be easily effected by grasping the treadle and withdrawing the striker rearwardly until boss 34 contacts cross plate 48, after which a counterclockwise swing of the striker brings the head 14 and boss 34 into a position wherefrom they may be removed upwardly between walls 46. For the assembly, the reverse sequence is employed.

In operation, the treadle 16 is depressed by a convenient portion of the foot, and is tilted downward about an axis through fulcrum points 52 and 54. The length and the mass distribution of the outer lever arm of the striker are such that a fairly constant time delay is involved in swinging the boss 42 up into contact with the top panel, which guarantees against wide variations, as well as too short a period, and permits the operator to devote more of his conscious attention to the musical effort itself. This lessening of the demands on the operator is also manifest in the provision of different sounds on the up and down beats, which are clearly distinguishable. This variation in sound will still be evident, in satisfactory measure, even though the spherical striker 40 be made integral with the head 14, and of similar material. Obviously, strikers 4t] and 42 are also susceptible of variation in size, shape and location, and the same is true of boss 34, which may even be omitted entirely.

Generally speaking, whereas a preferred embodiment has been shown and described, various modifications will be readily apparent, in the light of this disclosure, and the invention should not, therefore, be deemed as limited, except insofar as shall appear from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A device for heating time to music, comprising an elongate housing, open at the bottom, and having a vertical skirt at the bottom, slanting sides, and a top slanting from a maximum height at one end of the housing to a minimum height, adjacent said skirt, at the other end, said housing having openings in the two said ends, and a pair of sloping walls extending beyond one of said openings, said skirt extending beyond one end'of said housing and supporting an elevated platform, in spaced relation to the end of said housing, a striker having a medial portion within said housing and end portions extending outwardly of the end openings thereof, and connected to said medial portion by generally vertical sections, one of said end portions comprising a treadle, overlapping said sloping walls, and supported thereon as a fulcrum, for swinging movement, the other of said end portions comprising a generally rectangular head, with a spherical insert in its underside, normally dwelling on said platform, and said medial portion of said striker having a boss on its upper side, adapted to contact the inner face of said top upon swinging movement of the striker about said fulcrum, and said medial portion also having a boss depending from its underside and located adjacent the firstmentioned boss and said head.

2. In a device as in claim 1, a connecting bar between said sloping walls at the base level of said housing.

3. In a device as in claim 1, a connecting bar between said sloping walls at the base level of said housing, and spring means biasing said treadle in a direction upwardly of said bar.

4. A device for beating time to music, comprising an elongate housing, open at the bottom and having side walls, a slant, top wall, and two opposite end walls, each having a substantial opening, said side walls extending from one end of said housing and supporting a platform, and having a pair of extending portions at the other end, with upper edges sloping downwardly in an outward direction, a striker having a medial portion within said housing, and end portions extending outwardly of the end openings thereof, one of said end portions comprising a treadle, overlapping said sloping wall edges, and supported thereon as a fulcrum, for swinging movement, the other of said end portions having a spherical insert in its under side, normally dwelling on said platform, and said medial portion ofsaid striker having a boss on its upper side, adapted to contact the inner face of said top wall upon swinging movement of the striker about said fulcrum, and said medial portion also having a boss on its under side, adjacent said first-mentioned boss.

5. A device for heating time to music, comprising an elongate housing, open at the bottom and having side walls, a slant, top wall, and two opposite end walls, each having a substantial opening, said side walls extending from one end of said housing and supporting a platform, and having a pair of extending portions at the other end, with upper edges sloping downwardly in an outward direction, a striker having a medial port-ion Within said housing, and end portions extending outwardly of the end openings thereof, one of said end portionscomprising a treadle, overlapping said sloping wall edges, and supported thereon as a fulcrum, for swinging movement, the other of said end portions having a spherical insert in its under side, normally dwelling on said platform, and said medial portion of said striker having a boss on its upper side, adapted to contact the inner face of said top wall upon swinging movement of the striker about said fulcrum.

6. A device for beating time to music, comprising an elongate housing, open at lthe bottom and having side walls, a slant, top wall, and two opposite end walls, each having a substantial opening, said side walls extending from one end of said housing and supponting a platform, and having a pair of extending portions at the other end, with upper edges sloping downwardly in an outward direction, a striker having a medial portion within said housing, and end portions extending outwardly of the end openings thereof, one of said end portions comprising a treadle, overlapping said sloping wall edges, and supported thereon as a fulcrum, for swinging movement, the other of said end portions normally dwelling on said platform, and said medial portion of said striker having a boss on its upper side, adapted to contact the inner face of said top wall upon swinging movement of the striker about said fulcrum.

7. A device for beating time to music, comprising an elongate housing, open at the bottom and having side walls, a slant, top wall, and two opposite end walls, each having a substantial opening, said side walls extending from one end of said housing and supporting a platform, and having a pair of extending portions at the other end, a striker having a medial portion within said housing, and end portions extending outwardly of the end openings thereof, one of said end portions comprising a treadle, overlapping said extending wall portions, and supported thereon as a fulcrum, for swinging movement, the other of said end portions normally dwelling on said platform, and said medial portion of said striker having a boss on its upper side, adapted .to contact the inner face of said top wall upon swinging movement of the striker about said fulcrum.

8. A device for beating time to music, comprising an elongate housing, open at the bottom and having side walls, a slant, top wall, and two opposite end walls, each having a substantial opening, said side walls extending from one end of said housing and supponting a platform, and having a pair of extending portions at the other end, a striker having a medial portion within said housing, and end portions extending outwardly of the end openings thereof, one of said end portions comprising a treadle, overlapping said extending wall portions, and supported thereon as a fulcrum, for swinging movement, the other of said end portions normally dwelling on said platform, and said striker adapted to contact an inner portion of said housing upon swinging movement of the striker about said fulcrum.

9. A time-beating device comprising a housing, open at the bottom, and having (two opposite end walls, each having a substantial opening, a platform carried by said housing outwardly of one of said openings, a pair of walls extending from said housing, outwardly of the other of said openings and a lever having striker portions supported on said walls at a fulcrum line for swinging movement, and having a treadle portion on one side of said fulcrum, and a portion on the other side of said fulcrum extending through said housing and said one of said openings, and normally dwelling on said platform.

10. A time beating :device comprising a housing, with two sides and two ends a striker within said housing and extending from both ends thereof, and .means on said housing, supporting said striker .at an intermediate portion thereof for swinging movement, and said striker adapted to contact an inner portion of said housing dur ing said swinging movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 800,509 Stanton Sept. 26, 1905 980,488 Carney Ian. 3, 1911 2,223,668 Nicola Dec. 3, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,043,043 Germany Nov. 6, 1958 

10. A TIME BEATING DEVICE COMPRISING A HOUSING, WITH TWO SIDES AND TWO ENDS A STRIKER WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND EXTENDING FROM BOTH ENDS THEREOF, AND MEANS ON SAID HOUSING, SUPPORTING SAID STRIKER AT AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION THEREOF FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT, AND SAID STRIKER ADAPTED TO CONTACT AN INNER PORTION OF SAID HOUSING DURING SAID SWINGING MOVEMENT. 